


This Marriage is Valid in the Yokai World, but Not in the Nation of Japan

by xanithofdragons



Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Rating Likely to Change, what am i getting myself into?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2019-01-24
Packaged: 2019-06-22 08:46:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15578121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xanithofdragons/pseuds/xanithofdragons
Summary: What if, as a teenager, Natori Shuuichi was taken into the Matoba clan......through a marriage to its heir, Seiji?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first real attempt at doing a multi-chapter fic, and I'm real nervous about it. Still this is an idea I really wanted to see, and who's gonna do it if not me?
> 
> Please don't expect any consistency in a posting schedule or chapter lengths.

Rain started to fall on Shuuichi on his walk home from school. The rain wasn't forecast and so he wasn't carrying an umbrella. It was a light rain though, and sun even shone through in parts.

“A fox wedding,” he said to himself. Not that he actually saw any fox wedding processions around. He had seen one before, a raucous bunch, but it hadn't been during a sunshower like some legends told.

No, instead of foxes, today he noticed a strange black yokai wearing a white mask following him. Like he tried to do with unfamiliar yokai, he ignored it as best he could. Still, it was starting to get worrying that he had seen it and identical yokai frequently around his house and school for the past week. Maybe tonight he would have a chance to look through the materials in the storehouse at home to try to find a way to do something about them.

Undeterred by the rain and the mysterious yokai, Shuuichi continued on in his walk home until he ran into a boy who looked to be close to his age in front of him on the path. The boy had black hair and red eyes and was wearing a black gakuran, school insignia not one Shuuichi recognized. Stranger still, the boy seemed to be staring off into the forest off to the side of the path. Regardless Shuuichi chose to ignore the boy and walk on around him.

“It's being too obvious,” the boy said out of nowhere. Shuuichi stopped and turned towards the boy.

“What are you talking about?” Shuuichi asked.

“The thing following you,” the boy replied. “You see it too, don't you?”

Shuuichi froze at first. No one was supposed to know. Then he realized the implication behind the boy's words. “You mean you can see them too?” The boy only nodded in response. Shuuichi had never met someone else who could see yokai before. He was excited, but he soon tempered his excitement. He knew of yokai who disguised themselves in human forms.

“Anyway,” the boy said, “I shouldn't be here, and you should be getting home soon.”

“Wait!” Shuuichi shouted after him, but the boy ran off. Unsettled by the interaction, Shuuichi himself continued on home.

When Shuuichi got home, he found a group of people all wearing black clothing standing outside the gate. A woman with short gray hair wearing glasses, who seemed to be leading them turned to look at him.

“He's here,” Shuuichi could hear her say. “Good. It'll be faster to explain to all of them at once.”

By the time Shuuichi made it to the door, their housekeeper Sumi was already letting them into the house. When he reached her, Sumi stopped him.

“They said they wanted to speak with your father... and you,” she said after they exchanged greetings. Shuuichi continued on into the house, following after the strange group of people who had shown up. Once everyone had gathered in the room for meeting with guests, Shuuichi's father asked who they were.

“My name is Nanase, and I've come on behalf of the head of the Matoba clan,” the woman explained.

Matoba—Shuuichi had seen the name mentioned before in materials in the storehouse.

“Exorcists?” His father started. Apparently he recognized the name too. “How many times do we have to say that we want nothing to do with you anymore? We've left that business for good.”

“But your son, he sees them, doesn't he? Things that could be called yokai?” Nanase continued on.

“Whether he sees them or not is hardly any of your business.”

“It's precisely the reason we've come here. We're saying we'd like to take him into the Matoba family. We've already looked into things and think he has great potential. You wouldn't have to be involved any further than giving us your permission.”

His father was resistant at first, but Nanase was persuasive as she continued with her proposal.

“It must be a burden for you, for all of you, really,” Nanase said after much back and forth. Shuuichi wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say. Besides, he was hardly in a position to speak out in his family. Instead, he kept quiet as the two of them talked over his future. “You could keep your ties cut while young Shuuichi could be with people who understand him. Really, we think this will be a beneficial arrangement for all parties.”

Shuuichi could see his father, no, his whole family warming to the idea. He knew that they didn't want him or his abilities, representing, as they did, all the old ties they didn't understand and therefore feared. Shuuichi's father started to agree with Nanase, and that was how Natori Shuuichi ended up with plans to visit the Matoba clan the following weekend.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuuichi visits the Matoba clan and learns more about their offer to join them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who's shown interest in this fic whether by subscribing, commenting, or kudosing!

On the day in question, Nanase and a driver showed up in a black car to take Shuuichi. She sat with him in relative silence on the way to the Matoba family estate. Nanase looked intense, but Shuuichi tried asking a question anyway.

“So, can you see yokai too?” he asked.

“Yes,” she replied. “Although not everyone connected to the clan can.”

“But I'll meet other people who can see them too?”

Nanase turned to look at him and gave a smile. “Yes.”

Once they arrived, a group of men, again all wearing black, greeted them at the door. Shuuichi noticed a couple of what appeared to be yokai looking curiously at him. He guessed they must be shiki of clan members. They were barely in the house, though, when a boy, with black hair and red eyes, came rushing towards them.

“It's you, from the other day!” Shuuichi said, surprised.

“You went to see him?” Nanase asked the boy, glaring. “You were supposed to stay away until we brought him here.”

“Can you blame me for being curious about him?” To Seiji's question, Nanase returned a look that said that she very well could.

“In case you don't already know, this is Seiji. He's a first-year in high school. You'll be getting to know him well,” Nanase said.

Shuuichi started to introduced himself. “I'm Natori—“

“Shuuichi,” Seiji stepped in. “Second-year in high school and currently the only member of the Natori family who can see yokai.”

“We, of course, looked into you and your family before making the offer,” Nanase answered to Shuuichi's unasked question. It was then that Shuuichi saw the same type of masked yokai he had seen following him around lately.

“That yokai. So you guys sent them to follow me?” he said.

“I told them you'd notice,” Seiji said. “These things aren't very bright.”

“Oh,” Seiji continued, gesturing at Shuuichi's hand, “And we know about that too.” Shuuichi looked down to see that the yokai living in his skin, a black mark in the shape of a lizard, had moved to his hand. Seiji started to reach towards his hand. Shuuichi pulled away from him.

“Don't touch it! What if it's a curse that can be transferred to you?”

Seiji stared at him, dumbfounded.

“We're still researching it,” Nanase interjected into the silence between the two of them. “But we'll of course inform you if we find any important information about it.”

Next, Nanase took him to meet the clan head. Seiji followed after them like it was a matter of course that he be with them. Shuuichi didn't know. Maybe it was. The Matoba clan head was a man with the same black hair and red eyes as Seiji. Or at least one eye was red for sure. The other eye was covered with some kind of paper charm. He, too, was wearing black clothing.

“Shuuichi-kun, it's good to finally meet you,” the clan head started after Nanase presented him.

“It's nice to meet you too,” Shuuichi said politely.

“As I'm sure you're aware by now, we're a family of exorcists by trade, and we'd like to take you in.” He paused. “It must have been hard for you, living with a family who didn't understand you or your gift.”

Shuuichi remained silent. It _had_ been hard, he thought, but not all of it.

“For it is a gift,” the clan head continued. “We here in this clan understand how rare and special it is. A thing to be treasured, not feared. You have so much potential. With just a little bit of training, I'm sure you could become quite the capable exorcist.”

“Would I be able to help people?” Shuuichi asked, finally.

The clan head leaned forward. “Yes, you have a unique gift capable of helping many people, and we can show you how to do it.”

They parted with the clan head, and Nanase gave him a tour of the house. “This will be your house if you want it to be,” she said. Seiji continued to follow them, giving his own commentary on the estate, often to the fond sighs of Nanase. Shuuichi started to really consider the possibility of living there.

As they were coming back towards the entrance, Shuuichi saw a rather large yokai that looked vaguely familiar. It was humanoid but obviously not human due to its pale, almost blue, skin and pastel hair and eyes. He had seen Nanase and Seiji treat the yokai on the property like background, so he ignored the yokai at first, until it sniffed him. He recoiled.

“The Natori child! I see the preparations for the nuptials are progressing nicely,” it said.

“Nuptials?! I haven't heard anything about a wedding.” Shuuichi looked around at Nanase and Seiji for explanation.

“But it's your wedding,” the yokai said. It continued darkly, “You are getting married, right?”

Nanase stepped in. “Of course, the preparations are coming along nicely.” Apparently satisfied, the yokai walked off.

Nanase sighed as she put her hand over her eyes. “I apologize for not mentioning the specifics of this arrangement earlier. We didn't think your family, who couldn't see yokai, would understand. You'll be marrying a member of the Matoba family.”

“But I thought this would be an adoption?” Shuuichi asked.

“Legally it will be. But a previous clan head made a promise to this yokai that the Natori family would join the Matoba clan through marriage, and we're running out of time. It's actually the one that first told us about you.” Nanase's whole face looked strained.

“Supposing that I agree to all this, who will I be marrying?” Shuuichi asked.

Seiji smirked at him. “Me.”

“You?!” Shuuichi sputtered before turning to Nanase. “Seiji's a boy, right?”

“Yes” Nanase answered.

“And you realize I'm a boy, too, right?”

“Yes. That's why legally it will be an adoption. The wedding will only be for the sake of this yokai.”

“Believe me,” Seiji said. “My family wanted to avoid it at first too, but it insisted that we needed to fulfill this promise, and that, regardless of sex, the Matoba heir needed to marry a child of the Natori family. Preferably one who can see yokai, since this thing intends to perform the wedding itself.” Seiji kept a smile on his face throughout this explanation.

“How are you okay with this, anyway?” Shuuichi asked.

“I always thought I'd marry for political reasons.”

“We're both boys!”

Seiji shrugged. “At least my husband will be good-looking.”

Shuuichi ignored the compliment. “Well I'm not okay with it. Why should I help you fulfill some old promise to a yokai anyway?”

“You can think of this as helping us if you like. However, the yokai may retaliate if the promise goes unfulfilled, and we can't guarantee that it will only retaliate against the Matoba clan if that happens,” Nanase said. Shuuichi grit his teeth. She continued, tone going softer. “The wedding will only be a formality to please the yokai. Nothing else about our offer changes. We'll appreciate your talents here. Not to be insensitive, but don't you think that would be better than being with a family that fears your abilities?”

Shuuichi turned to look at Seiji. His face looked downcast for the first time he had seen. Shuuichi felt bad, like the whole situation was his fault somehow.

“We'll give you some time to think about all this,” Nanase finished and led him the rest of the way out of the house. Seiji watched his exit with the same sad look on his face. Nanase took him back to his house in the same car they came in. Back home, Shuuichi was left with much to think about.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seiji takes Shuuichi to an exorcist meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See if you notice where I low-key stole my own idea!

Shuuichi felt torn the following days. The taste he had gotten of the world of yokai exorcists had been tempting, very much so. Still, the exact details of the arrangement the Matoba clan was proposing and the fact that they had hidden them from him made Shuuichi want to refuse. For all he knew, Seiji could be a perfectly good kid, but marrying him, even if it wasn't legally binding, was ridiculous.

Meanwhile, his father was acting kinder towards him now that Shuuichi could be off his hands soon. Only Sumi, who Shuuichi had barely noticed he thought of as family until now, seemed at all sad about the possibility of him leaving.

She spoke to him the day after he had visited the Matoba family estate. “If you think you'll be happier with them, I can be happy for you, too, but don't feel that you have to rush into any decision,” she said.

Shuuichi also had the possibility of retaliation from the yokai if he didn't agree to its bizarre request. He spent more time than before in the storehouse, trying to research ways to exorcise vengeful yokai. He was there one day towards the end of the week when Sumi knocked on the door. They were the only two in the house right then.

“Shuuichi-san, someone named Seiji is here to see you,” she said. Shuuichi was startled, but he went back to the house to lead him back to his bedroom. Sumi brought them tea and snacks.

“The wards here sure are old,” Seiji said after devouring his portion of the snacks. “They'd barely keep anything out.”

Shuuichi resisted snapping back. “What did you come here for?” he asked instead, resigned.

“Oh yeah,” Seiji said, as though he had forgotten. He rummaged in a bag he had brought with him. “You'll need this.” He offered what appeared to be a kimono with a haori and a fox mask to Shuuichi.

“What'll I need that for?” Shuuichi asked as he received the clothing and mask.

“There's a meeting of exorcists tomorrow night. I want to take you.” Seiji said, looking excited. “You can wear that. I'll be wearing a disguise too.”

An exorcist meeting. Shuuichi hadn't even known something like that existed in this day and age. “Why do we need to wear disguises, though?”

“Technically the Matoba family's not supposed to be in attendance. But I thought you should get to see one.”

Shuuichi didn't know what to say, except, “I'll go.” Seiji beamed at him. He told him the location and time, and they decided on a place to meet up together.

The next night, Shuuichi put on the white kimono and the black with a gray cloud pattern haori, and went to the place where they would meet. Seiji was already waiting for him on the path to where the exorcist meeting would be held, wearing a black haori with a red flower pattern over a white kimono, with a fox mask identical to the one he had given Shuuichi on the side of his head. They put their masks on and set off in the direction of the meeting, following the path lined with yokai holding signs.

“I don't know if I should ask this,” Shuuichi started. “But why was your clan head covering his right eye with like that?”

“You'd need to know about it eventually anyway,” Seiji replied, talking as though it was already a given that Shuuichi would join their clan. “A long time ago, someone from the Matoba family made a deal with a yokai to give up his right eye, but never fulfilled his end of the deal. Since then that yokai has targeted the right eye of any Matoba clan head.”

Shuuichi voiced his thoughts out loud. “But you'll go along with the deal of a yokai trying to arrange a marriage.”

Seiji laughed. “To be honest, I think it was irresponsible of the clan head at the time to make a promise like that, leaving it for future generations to deal with.” Shuuichi wasn't sure which ancestor of his he was talking about.

Their conversation was cut short when they arrived at the meeting location. Inside, Shuuichi looked around at all the people and yokai milling about the room.

“There's this many?” He asked, but Seiji just grabbed at his sleeve and dragged him to the far wall, where the food tables were lined up. Seiji grabbed a few things from one of the tables and snuck down underneath the table cloth. Shocked, Shuuichi looked around and then followed once he confirmed no one was paying them any mind.

“What are we doing under a table?” Shuuichi asked. Seiji had pulled off his mask to eat, so he did the same.

“This is a great place to listen in on conversations. Plus, there's food. Aren't you hungry?” Seiji offered him some food. Shuuichi took it.

“So you come here to eavesdrop?” Shuuichi asked in between bites of food.

“Only sometimes, and only when the Matoba clan isn't in attendance.” Shuuichi wondered at what Seiji had to do when the Matoba clan _was_ in attendance. “I hear about some pretty interesting things.”

Finished with his food, he listened to the voices around them. Much of it he didn't understand, chatter about people he didn't know and places he'd never been. There was also some talk about specific spells and techniques for exorcisms. Interspersed, there were comments about the Matoba clan. _You can't trust a Matoba, that bunch of promise-breakers_ and _the Matoba clan acts all high and mighty_ and _the Matoba family can't make any decent shiki_. Shuuichi felt sick to his stomach.

“They say that,” Seiji said, “but when they're in trouble they all come to us for help.” Shuuichi stared at Seiji. Seiji stared back at him. “You should know what people say too.” Then he changed the topic. “Sometimes you get to hear rumors about powerful yokai.”

“To exorcise?” Shuuichi asked.

“Or to make your shiki.” Seiji glanced at him like he was sharing some fun secret. Shuuichi wondered if this was what it was like to have a best friend, or maybe a sibling. He wondered, if he joined the Matoba clan like they wanted, could he and Seiji be like that for one another, sharing secrets and being each other's confidant. Suddenly Shuuichi realized that their faces were rather close together since they had been leaning towards each other to hear. It was hot stuffed under a table in a room full of people and yokai. He scooted back.

Seiji made that sad face again. Shuuichi wondered if he had done something wrong. Seiji started to reach up to the top of the table to grab more food, though, so he decided not to worry about it. Suddenly the tablecloth was pulled up, and a man wearing glasses was looking at the both of them.

“Seiji-kun!” The man said. “Haven't I told you this is no place for children?”

“Ah, we've been found,” Seiji said, loud enough that Shuuichi could hear, but the man probably couldn't.

“Who's this? A friend of yours?” the man asked.

“I'm Na—”

“Takuma-san, this is Shuuichi-san,” Seiji interrupted him. Shuuichi could guess that this meant he didn't want him to reveal his family name yet. “Shuuichi-san, this is Takuma-san.”

Takuma sighed. “Anyway, you shouldn't be bringing him to a place like this.”

“Don't worry. We'll be leaving now,” Seiji gave Takuma a wide smile and tugged on Shuuichi's sleeve. They went to the exit.

“Sorry we couldn't be there longer. I'm not usually found so easily,” Seiji said as they walked back along the path they had come.

“Seiji,” Shuuichi stopped walking. Seiji stopped in front of him and looked back. “Why'd you bring me here?”

“I thought I told you: because I wanted you to see it,” Seiji replied.

“But bringing me here, what's to stop me from refusing to join the Matoba clan and becoming an exorcist on my own?”

“What indeed?” Seiji's nonchalance irritated Shuuichi. “You and your family will have to make your own decision on that. But...”

“But what?”

“But I'd like it if you did join.” Seiji turned and smiled at him, but it didn't look like the forced smile he had made with Takuma. Seiji started walking again, and after a beat, Shuuichi did too.

They parted ways, and Shuuichi went back home. He lied awake in bed that night, thinking about all the exorcists he had seen and all he had overheard that night. Most of all, though, he thought about Seiji wanting him to join the Matoba clan.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shuuichi moves into the Matoba family home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This in-between part turned out longer than I expected when I wrote it, but that just means I don't feel bad about posting it as a full chapter!

In the end, the Natori family decided for Shuuichi. They were handing him and all the materials the family had collected from past generations related to yokai and exorcism to the Matoba clan. In return, the Matoba clan promised to protect them from any yokai. Shuuichi thought bitterly that all around this may be a far better deal for the Matoba clan than it was for him or the Natori family. 

The legal adoption would take time, but Shuuichi was moving into the Matoba family house right away. Nanase and a group of men from the Matoba clan came over to his house to pack up his things and the contents of the storehouse. Shuuichi stood by his father as Nanase talked to him.

“Again, we'd like to thank you for agreeing to let us take in Shuuichi-kun,” she said. Neither Shuuichi himself nor anyone from the Matoba clan had told his family that he would technically be marrying into the Matoba family.

“No need to thank me,” Shuuichi's father said. Shuuichi supposed he could be feeling excited about his new life or upset about the way his family was tossing him out, but instead he just felt empty, exhausted.

Everything was packed into a truck, and Shuuichi sat in a separate car next to Nanase.

“You'll be sharing a room with Seiji,” Nanase said. “We think, once the wedding is done with, that Musubigami will be more satisfied if you two share a room.” Musubigami was the name they called the yokai who was pushing this marriage as part of some promise with a previous Matoba clan head. It wasn't its true name since, as Shuuichi had learned from Nanase, using a yokai's true name in dealings was forbidden in exorcist circles. 

Shuuichi had the urge to be contrary and say that he was only going along with his family's agreement to be taken in by the Matoba family, not with the marriage, but truly, he didn't want to risk putting his family into jeopardy by disagreeing. Instead he asked, “When is the wedding happening?”

“As soon as we can complete preparations for it,” Nanase answered.

“Can I ask something?” There was something that kept bothering Shuuichi when he thought about the whole arrangement the Matoba family was proposing.

“What is it?” Nanase asked.

“Why don't you just seal the yokai or destroy it?”

Nanase had a wry look on her face. “That would make this all easier, wouldn't it? If we thought we could do so safely, we would, but Musubigami is much too powerful. We're not sure we could destroy it, and even if we could, we can't guarantee there wouldn't be casualties. As for sealing it, if we sealed it imperfectly, it would just retaliate, maybe even hurting unrelated people if it ever got loose. Going along with the marriage is the safest option.”

Shuuichi thought about the unfinished deal Seiji had told him about the other day, but didn't want to bring it up and possibly get Seiji in trouble. He sat in silence thinking about safest options for the rest of the ride.

Seiji was waiting for them when they arrived at the Matoba estate. “I'm glad you decided to come here,” he said with a smile.

“I didn't decide anything. My family did,” Shuuichi protested, the contrariness he had pressed down earlier rising up at the sight of Seiji.

“Well I'm glad they decided to agree to our deal,” Seiji corrected himself.

“Why don't you show him to your room?” Nanase asked Seiji, who nodded. “You can greet the clan head later,” she said to Shuuichi. “He's out on important business right now.” 

Seiji took him to the room that they would be sharing. Clan members stacked boxes of Shuuichi's things in the room while they sat there, Shuuichi not knowing what to say.

“That's everything,” one of them said, placing one last box down. “Do you want any help unpacking?”

“No, thank you, that's fine,” Shuuichi answered.

“Are you sure?” the man asked.

“It's fine. I'll help him if he needs it,” Seiji said. The man paused and stared at Seiji, but ultimately left them alone in the room.

“Could you stop looking so excited?” Shuuichi asked. Seiji's smile had never once fallen from his face since Shuuichi had arrived.

“Why? I'm genuinely happy you're here,” Seiji responded. Shuuichi wasn't sure why the heir of a powerful family should be so happy he was around until Seiji continued. “I've never really had friends close in age to me before.”

Shuuichi looked at his face. He was still smiling, even after saying something like that. Shuuichi looked away. “Me neither.”

“Oh, but I guess you'll be my husband, not my friend,” Seiji said.

Shuuichi put a hand to his face. “Don't remind me.”

“But it's true,” Seiji said with a laugh. Shuuichi ignored him and started unpacking. Seiji offered to help him, but Shuuichi said he really didn't need it. The room and closets were already arranged with space for his things. It made sense, since they had been expecting him. It would have made it easy to unpack if it weren't for the fact that it was hard for Shuuichi to think that he would be living here now, and not going back to his old home, at least not often.

It was well after Shuuichi had finished unpacking that the clan head returned and Shuuichi got a chance to speak with him for the second time. They only exchanged standard greetings, Shuuichi saying that he would be in their care and thanking him while the clan head thanked him and his family for letting him come to the clan.

It took longer than normal for Shuuichi to fall asleep that first night, being in an unfamiliar room and hearing Seiji's soft breaths beside him.

It was agreed that Shuuichi would continue going to the same school, which he did in the following days. While he was at school, it felt like hardly anything had changed at all. The first few days Nanase or other people related to the Matoba clan came by his school to pick him up. It was almost like they were afraid he would run away, Shuuichi thought.

In the evenings at his new home, he was taught all the basic rules of exorcist society and the Matoba clan. He was also given free reign to continue studying anything taken from his family's storehouse that the Matoba family wasn't looking over at the time. Seiji showed him materials the Matoba family had gathered throughout generations, too, although Nanase scolded them that they needed to study at least some for school when she found them one night. Shuuichi was also fitted for formal wear for the wedding ceremony under the watchful eye of Musubigami.

On a Friday almost two weeks after he had moved into the Matoba family home, Seiji was waiting for him outside the gate when he left school. Seiji could be grating sometimes, but Shuuichi had found himself growing fond of him. It was nice knowing other people who could see yokai, especially one his own age. He had meant it when he said that he had never really had friends his own age before, never reaching an understanding with the people around him who couldn't see yokai. He could share so much with someone like Seiji that he had never shared with anyone else before, so he tried to accept the annoying quirks he had.

They walked together towards their now shared home. “I overheard last night,” Seiji started when they happened to be walking along a path with few people around. “The preparations for the wedding are complete. It'll probably happen this weekend.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wedding and the wedding night.

They held the wedding in a garden of the Matoba family estate. The clan head, some of Seiji's other family, Nanase, and a handful of the Matoba family's shiki attended. They dressed Shuuichi and Seiji up in formal clothing and placed them front and center. Musubigami was there to officiate as promised. Shuuichi read a prepared vow, he shared juice with Seiji instead of sake (Nanase had to convince the yokai that no, they really weren't allowed to drink sake yet), and Musubigami declared them married.

The gathered shiki threw flowers over them, congratulating the two of them on their marriage and the rest of the family on the happy union. Musubigami declared it was time to drink, and the party moved to a large room within the house. The shiki accepted drinks under the watchful eyes of their masters, and the adults of the Matoba family drank one or two drinks seemingly only out of respect for the yokai's wishes. Musubigami was the only one drinking without restraint. There was food, too, for a late dinner.

It was late at night when the party wound down and Shuuichi and Seiji could go back to their shared room and change into sleeping clothes. Shuuichi was exhausted after the long day and night and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep quickly, but within a few minutes of them both lying down, he heard more than saw Seiji sit up in the futon next to him.

“Shuuichi-san, you're not asleep yet, are you?”

“No.”

“There's something I think we should talk about.”

“What?” Shuuichi asked, hoping it wouldn't be long. He finally looked over towards Seiji, who opened and closed his mouth a couple of times.

“I told you before that I always knew I'd marry for political reasons, but...” It wasn't like Seiji to hesitate. “This doesn't have to be a sexless marriage.”

“What are you saying?”

“I'm saying I'm attracted to you.” At that, Shuuichi bolted up to a sitting position and gaped at Seiji. “What? We're married anyway.” He had to be teasing him. That was what Shuuichi wanted to believe, but Seiji's face looked completely serious. There was no sign of his usual teasing smiles.

“I'm not saying we should do something tonight, but I would like you to think about it,” Seiji continued. “You can even decide who's the top and who's the bottom.” Seiji's voice suddenly got softer. “Although I figured you'd be the top, you being older.”

Shuuichi wasn't sure what Seiji was talking about, but he knew that it was too much for him to handle right now. “I'm too tired to think about this.” Shuuichi fell back down onto his futon. “Good night.” He just wanted to sleep, but as he heard Seiji lie back down next to him and say good night back, it was all he could think about. Seiji's words had been one shock after the other. 

Seiji was attracted to him. Seiji _wanted to have sex with him _. Seiji was gay. Seiji was attracted to him and gay and this was probably why he had been okay with this whole ridiculous marriage situation.__

__Shuuichi hadn't much noticed the girls around him, but that didn't mean he had noticed the boys instead. He had always kept his distance from the people around him. He had hardly entertained the idea of one day getting married. Even dating had seemed out of the question, so he had thought he would have to take care of his sexual urges on his own all his life. Now, though, according to some strange, powerful yokai, he _was_ married, and that marriage partner apparently wanted to take care of his sexual urges with Shuuichi._ _

__Seiji's face _was_ kind of pretty, in a certain light, his mind unhelpfully supplied, and wouldn't it be nice to have someone else touch him for once? There was no way he was going to be able to sleep like this. He sat back up._ _

__“Seiji, are you still awake?” he asked._ _

__“Yes,” Seiji replied, sounding eager._ _

__“What do you mean by top and bottom?”_ _

__“Wow, you really don't know much about this.”_ _

__“Of course I don't!” Shuuichi almost wanted to add, “because I'm not gay,” but it seemed silly considering the situation he found himself in._ _

__“Sorry,” Seiji said and went on to explain what top and bottom meant in the context of anal sex._ _

__“Why would anyone even want to be the bottom?” was the first question Shuuichi was left with._ _

__“It's supposed to feel good.” Seiji supplied. “Like I said, I'd let you choose.”_ _

__“And why do we have to do... that? Can't we just... use our hands to get each other off?”_ _

__“We can do whatever you're comfortable with,” Seiji said, and Shuuichi realized he was making it sound too much like he was already agreeing to Seiji's proposal._ _

__“Anyway. I need time to think about this,” Shuuichi said. Seiji had probably been thinking about this since he heard about the marriage, and Shuuichi was first thinking about it tonight. “Let's just sleep for now.” He lied back down, and they both said good night again. That being said, though, he had trouble falling asleep, too many thoughts swirling in his head._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The rating change is more to be safe? I'm never sure what counts as what. I am planning on this fic getting explicit at some point, though.


End file.
